The present invention relates to a dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus and, more particularly, to a portable-type, dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus capable of performing satellite communications via a communications satellite and cellular communications via a base station on the ground (hereinafter referred to as a xe2x80x9cground stationxe2x80x9d).
FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a conventional dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus. Referring to FIG. 11, there are shown satellite-communication mobile telephone terminal module (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9csatellite terminal modulexe2x80x9d) 1, a satellite wireless communication controller 2 mounted in the satellite terminal module 1, CPU 3 in the satellite wireless communication controller 2, for communicating with another terminal apparatus via a communications satellite (not shown) under the control of software, and a hand set 4 composed of LCD 5, a keypad 6 and an interface circuit 7. The interface circuit 7 makes signals coming in from LCD 5 and the keypad 6 compatible with the interface of CPU 3.
There are also shown a hand-set type, cellular communication mobile telephone terminal module 8 for terrestrial communications (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9ccellular terminal modulexe2x80x9d) having an external input/output terminal 15 through which a monitoring control signal and the like are input and output, a cellular wireless communication controller 9 mounted in the cellular terminal module 8, CPU 10 in the cellular wireless communication controller 9, for communicating with another terminal apparatus via a ground station (not shown) under the control of software, LCD 11 on the cellular terminal module 8, a keypad 12 on the cellular terminal module 8, an interface circuit 13 between CPU 10 and LCD 11 and keypad 12, an LCD/keypad junction unit 14 connected to the interface circuit 13, and the external input/output terminal 15 such as a connector attached onto the casing of the cellular terminal module 8.
FIG. 12 shows in detail the interface circuit 13 and LCD/keypad junction unit 14 in a conventional dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus. Referring to FIG. 12, there are shown an LCD interface IC 13a and a keypad interface IC 13b, both of which form the interface circuit 13.
Also shown are an LCD connector 14a and a keypad connector 14b, both of which forms the LCD/keypad junction unit 14.
The operation of the conventional art thus constructed is now discussed. When a telephone call is placed entering a telephone number of a destination, namely, a party to be called, and referring to the display of LCD 5, a required signal is fed to CPU 3 in the satellite terminal module 1, and CPU 3 decides whether the call is to be placed by the satellite terminal module 1 via the communications satellite (not shown) or by the cellular terminal module 8 via the ground station (not shown).
After the decision, when the call is successfully placed by either the cellular terminal module 8 or the satellite terminal module 1, a user starts a voice communication using the hand set 4 through one of the terminal modules that has successfully placed the call.
Most of the satellite terminal modules widely and currently manufactured in the world, as the satellite terminal module 1, are as large as of a sheet A4 or B5 size at the smallest. Since the communications satellites, positioned at a geostationary orbit 36000 km above the equator, suffer a severe wireless wave attenuation, they are in need of a relatively large antenna and a high-output power, and as communications satellites at a low earth orbit (LEO) or at an intermediate earth orbit (IEO) are going to be used from now on, a portable handheld type, satellite terminal module 1 works even with a smaller antenna such as a bar antenna and a low output power, and the hand set 4, satellite terminal module 1 and cellular terminal module 8 in FIG. 11 may be integrated into a handheld side communication terminal.
A variety of systems are available in conventional dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatuses in terms of the cellular communication system of the cellular terminal module 8, including PDC (Personal Digital Cellular in a Japanese standard mobile communication system), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication in a European standard mobile communication system), DAMPS (Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Service in a U.S. standard mobile communication system), and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access in another U.S. standard mobile communication system different from DAMPS), and they are different from each other in specification, for example, in interfacing conditions of the external input/output terminal 15, and some systems dispense with the external input/output terminal 15.
If an attempt is made to integrate the hand set 4, satellite terminal module 1, and cellular terminal module 8 shown in FIG. 11 into one handheld communications terminal, the interfacing conditions of the external input/output terminal 15 needs modifying depending on the cellular communication system of the cellular terminal module 8 to be integrated, or an external input/output terminal itself needs to be newly installed, and for this reason, the standardization of hardware is difficult, and the manufacturing cost of the hardware is high, and when one cellular wireless communication controller is changed to another cellular wireless communication controller, a hardware modification is needed, pushing the cost of the apparatus.
The present invention has been developed to resolve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus, wherein a satellite terminal module and a cellular terminal module are integrated at a low cost with a minimum hardware modification involved, requiring no increase in the component count of the apparatus, and a cellular wireless communication controller is changed from one cellular communication system to another with a minimum hardware modification involved.
To achieve the above object, the dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention comprises a satellite wireless communication controller for performing satellite communications with another terminal apparatus via a communications satellite, a cellular wireless communication controller, including an input/output junction unit, for performing cellular communications with another terminal apparatus via a ground station, and interfacing means, arranged between the satellite wireless communication controller and the input/output junction unit of the cellular wireless communication controller, for making interfacing between the satellite wireless communication controller and the input/output junction unit of the cellular wireless communication controller.
The dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention further comprises input means into which a telephone number of a destination is entered to place a call, and display means for displaying the telephone number input through the input means, wherein the satellite wireless communication controller, the cellular wireless communication controller, the interfacing means, the input means and the display means are integrated with a hand set in a unitary body.
The cellular wireless communication controller outputs in/out-of-area information that indicates whether the apparatus is in or out of a cellular communication service area, while the satellite wireless communication controller receives the in/out-of-area information from the cellular wireless communication controller, and when the satellite wireless communication controller determines that the apparatus is in the cellular communication service area, it causes the cellular wireless communication controller to perform cellular communications, and when the satellite wireless communication controller determines that the apparatus is out of the cellular communication service area, it performs satellite communications.
The present invention further comprises a plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers of different cellular communication system types and the interfacing means respectively compatible with the cellular wireless communication controllers of different cellular communication system types, wherein when one of the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers performs cellular communications, the interfacing means compatible with the one cellular wireless communication controller makes interfacing between the satellite wireless communication controller and the input/output junction unit of the one cellular wireless communication controller.
The dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention further comprises a plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers of different cellular communication system types, first interfacing means for making software interfacing under the control of a program compatible with the cellular communication system of one cellular wireless communication controller in use, out of the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers, and a plurality of second interfacing means, respectively arranged for the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers, for performing electrical interfacing, wherein when one of the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers performs cellular communications, the first interfacing means makes software interfacing under the control of the program compatible with the cellular communication system of the one cellular wireless communication controller while the second interfacing means makes electrical interfacing compatible with the one cellular wireless communication controller, in connection with the interfacing activity between the satellite wireless communication controller and the input/output junction unit of the cellular wireless communication controllers.
The dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention comprises, in the interfacing means, first interfacing means for making software interfacing under the control of a program compatible with the cellular communication system of one cellular wireless communication controller actually mounted, out of a plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers of different cellular communication system types expected to be mounted, a plurality of second interfacing means, respectively arranged for the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers, for performing electrical interfacing, with the first interfacing means arranged separately from the plurality of second interfacing means, and selection means for selecting one second interfacing means, among the plurality of second interfacing means, compatible with the mounted cellular wireless communication controller, wherein when one of the plurality of cellular wireless communication controllers performs cellular communications, the first interfacing means makes software interfacing under the control of the program compatible with the cellular communication system of the one cellular wireless communication controller, while the second interfacing means makes electrical interfacing compatible with the one cellular wireless communication controller selected by the selection means, in connection with the interfacing activity between the satellite wireless communication controller and the input/output junction unit of the cellular wireless communication controllers,
In the dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention, the interfacing means is divided into first interfacing means for making software interfacing under the control of a program and second interfacing means for making electrical interfacing wherein a CPU that executes a program in the satellite wireless communication controller to perform satellite communications further makes software interfacing under the control of the program of the first interfacing means for the first interfacing means while the second interfacing means is arranged separately from the satellite wireless communication controller and the cellular wireless communication controller.
In the dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention, the CPU that executes the program in the satellite wireless communication controller to perform satellite communications further makes software interfacing under the control of the program of the first interfacing means for the first interfacing program.
In the dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention, the interfacing means is divided into first interfacing means for making software interfacing under the control of a program and second interfacing means for making electrical interfacing, wherein a CPU that executes a program in the cellular wireless communication controller to perform cellular communications further makes software interfacing under the control of the program of the first interfacing means for the first interfacing means while the second interfacing means is arranged separately from the satellite wireless communication controller and the cellular wireless communication controller.
In the dual-mode mobile telephone terminal apparatus of the present invention, the CPU that executes the program in the cellular wireless communication controller to perform cellular communications further makes software interfacing of the first interfacing means for the first interfacing means.